A Righteous Beatdown

The Ancestral Witches crashed directly into the ground before the Three Pure Ones, leaving ten massive craters.

"Who are you?" The Three Pure Ones stared blankly at the ten figures that had suddenly fallen from the sky. They had never seen such a peculiar way of making an entrance and were momentarily stunned.

Then, three more figures drifted down from the void.

"We are your brothers. Second Uncle sent us down to help you." Dijiang looked at the Three Pure Ones and quickly explained.

"So you are the Ancestral Witches?" Laozi asked upon hearing Dijiang's words.

They felt a natural sense of kinship emanating from the Ancestral Witches. Coupled with Xuanxiao's earlier mention of them, they immediately guessed their identities after Dijiang's introduction.

"Has Second Uncle come?" Tongtian looked at Dijiang expectantly, his eyes full of longing.

Just as Dijiang was about to answer, Gou Chen interrupted: "Master is in the void, but he said he won't interfere this time. We need to handle this ourselves."

"And you are?" The Three Pure Ones studied Gou Chen curiously. They didn't sense the same familiar aura from him as they did from the Ancestral Witches. Clearly, Gou Chen was not their brother.

"He is Second Uncle's disciple, and also our... Senior Brother." Dijiang's tone carried a hint of reluctance as he introduced Gou Chen to the Three Pure Ones, but he forced himself to finish.

"Good, then let's take on this fellow together!" With reinforcements, the Three Pure Ones gained more confidence in dealing with Mo Yuan. They also believed that Xuanxiao, their Second Uncle, wouldn't truly abandon them.

At that moment, Mo Yuan, watching from afar, stiffened the instant he saw Gou Chen and instinctively began to retreat.

He had dealt with Gou Chen in Thunder Marsh before and knew he was Xuanxiao's disciple.

Seeing Gou Chen now, he had no desire to stay any longer.

"Damn it, why am I so unlucky! The few people I casually provoked turn out to be the Dao Venerable's nephews. If you'd told me your background earlier, I'd never have dared to toy with you!" Mo Yuan felt like crying, regret gnawing at him.

"But at least I didn't go for the kill before. Otherwise, I'd probably be a corpse by now." Mo Yuan secretly congratulated himself for his earlier "restraint."

"Fellow Daoist, Master instructed you to pretend you don't know us and give my junior brothers and sisters a good tempering." Seeing Mo Yuan about to flee, Gou Chen quickly sent a telepathic message to stop him.

Hearing Gou Chen's message, Mo Yuan halted mid-step. He looked at Gou Chen warily and asked tentatively, "Fellow Daoist, you're not lying to me, are you? This really is the Dao Venerable's will?"

"That's right. Don't hold back. If you handle this matter well, Master might even reward you generously." Gou Chen's words made Mo Yuan's eyes light up.

He knew well how wealthy Xuanxiao was. Back when he wanted to stay in Thunder Marsh, he'd even considered calling Xuanxiao "father." If Xuanxiao so much as let a single treasure slip through his fingers, Mo Yuan would be overjoyed.

Now, hearing Gou Chen say this, he was naturally thrilled.

Mo Yuan forced himself to stay calm, putting on a fierce expression as he glared at the Three Pure Ones and the Ancestral Witches. "Hah, you think having these people on your side makes you a match for me? Since you're all here, none of you are leaving!"

"How dare you look down on us!" The Ancestral Witches, enraged by Mo Yuan's arrogant words, could no longer hold back.

One by one, they manifested their Ancestral Witch True Forms and charged at Mo Yuan with furious roars.

Laozi and Yuanshi watched the Ancestral Witches rush forward with such ferocity and were momentarily stunned. They both turned to Gou Chen and asked, "Are they always like this?"

Gou Chen didn't answer, merely letting out a helpless sigh.

That single sigh said it all.

Meanwhile, Tongtian, fired up by the Ancestral Witches' bold charge, shouted, "Wait for me, brothers!" and chased after them without hesitation.

"Tongtian, get back here!" Yuanshi called out urgently, then quickly gave chase.

Laozi and Gou Chen exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes. They understood each other perfectly, shook their heads with bitter smiles, and then charged together at Mo Yuan, joining the fray.

"These fellows only just met, but they're already coordinating quite well." Xuanxiao watched the battle from the void, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

On the battlefield below, Laozi summoned the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda. The pagoda, radiating a mysterious light, instantly enveloped the Ancestral Witches.

Under the pagoda's protection, even though the Ancestral Witches were only at the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal perfection stage, their combined strength barely allowed them to withstand Mo Yuan's fierce assaults.

As for the Three Pure Ones and Gou Chen, with the Ancestral Witches' support, they didn't have to worry too much about Mo Yuan's attacks and could freely unleash various Divine Abilities against him.

However, among these attacks, only Gou Chen's could inflict any real damage on Mo Yuan.

The Three Pure Ones had yet to break through to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm. Their attacks, launched at the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal level, had negligible effect on Mo Yuan, a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal perfection powerhouse.

Though the Three Pure Ones' attacks didn't cause substantial harm, they still proved troublesome for Mo Yuan.

"How the hell did these guys train their bodies? They're only at the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal level, yet their flesh can withstand attacks from a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal perfection cultivator like me. It's absurd!" Mo Yuan watched the Ancestral Witches, who only spat blood after being hit by his Divine Abilities, feeling no joy.

He knew that these fellows, though seemingly on the verge of collapse, would soon bounce back and be as lively as ever.

What Mo Yuan didn't know was that the Ancestral Witches' formidable bodies were the result of Xuanxiao's meticulous training.

Ever since discovering the Ancestral Witches' simple-mindedness, Xuanxiao had been "looking after" them quite thoroughly.

It was almost a small beating every day, a big beating every three days.

Even Houtu and Xuanming, two of the Ancestral Witches, weren't spared. Xuanxiao beat them too, though he would heal their injuries afterward.

Xuanxiao didn't do this to torment the Ancestral Witches. Every time he beat them, the Killing Intent they absorbed was refined faster, and their bodies grew stronger in the process.

"Still, with their current strength, defeating Mo Yuan is a bit too much to ask." Xuanxiao pondered as he observed the battle below.

Though Mo Yuan seemed to be on the losing side for now, Xuanxiao knew this was only temporary.

Despite Mo Yuan's usual cowardice, his origins were no small matter. He was the second Five Virtues Kirin in the world, and his strength was not to be underestimated.

Moreover, Mo Yuan was only a step away from breaking through to the Golden Immortal of the Origin realm.

The only reason he was at a disadvantage now was his fear of the group's backgrounds, which kept him from going all out.

On top of that, it was his first time facing opponents with such absurdly tough bodies as the Ancestral Witches, leaving him caught off guard.

But once Mo Yuan adapted to this rhythm of battle, Gou Chen and the others would likely lose their chance.

After all, Mo Yuan could make countless mistakes and still have a chance to turn things around. But if Gou Chen and the others made even one mistake, and Mo Yuan seized the opportunity, it could spell total defeat.